U.S. SENATE — Following U.S. Senator Steve Daines’ urging, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced that he is authorizing emergency grazing of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage for any county whose border, in part, lies within 150 miles of a county approved for emergency grazing of CRP.
“Today’s decision by Secretary Perdue is a step in the right direction to provide emergency relief in light of severe conditions,” Daines stated. “I will continue to work on behalf of Montana farmers and ranchers as our state continues to face a serious drought.”
Yesterday, Daines sent a letter to Perdue outlining the importance of authorizing grazing and haying on CRP acreage to provide additional relief for Montana producers in the face of record low levels of precipation and high tempartures.
Daines’ letter is available to download HERE and below.
The Honorable Sonny Perdue
Secretary
United States Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20250
Dear Secretary Perdue:
I write to request that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provide additional emergency relief to farmers and ranchers across eastern Montana that are currently suffering from severe drought conditions by immediately authorizing haying on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage. While I appreciate USDA’s decision to allow impacted producers to utilize CRP acreage for grazing, the ongoing conditions on the ground in eastern Montana warrant additional relief.
As you know, counties and American Indian reservations across much of eastern Montana are experiencing record low levels of precipitation and high temperatures, which have had substantial impacts on the harvests to date for farmers and ranchers in the region. Providing sufficient and appropriate emergency relief is imperative as operations in the region are struggling in light of these severe conditions.
I urge you to grant additional emergency relief to producers across Montana and the Northern Plains by authorizing haying on CRP acreage impacted by the ongoing drought. Thank you for your consideration and the actions USDA has taken thus far, and I look forward to continuing to work with you to assist Montana farmers and ranchers on this and other critical issues.
Sincerely,
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Contact: Marcie Kinzel, Katie Waldman